On this episode of the Live Lead Succeed Podcast I am chatting with my friend Josh Whiteside who is the Executive Director for the Education Partnership here in Pittsburgh, PA. Josh is sharing his journey of growing up in a suburban area unaware of the many needs of children in the local urban areas. He has now dedicated most of his adult life to giving back and helping those less fortunate. Josh has found real and true passion in serving the under-served and is touching lives all across the city.
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Josh grew up in the South Hills of Pittsburgh attending Upper St. Clair High School where he played both soccer and football. He continued his education and football career at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2008.
After graduation, Josh started his career in the insurance industry as a corporate benefits consultant in the Pittsburgh area. In March of 2012, Josh helped to launch a new, local nonprofit organization, Beverly’s Birthdays, with the mission of providing birthday parties and presents for children experiencing homelessness in the Pittsburgh region. After 18 months serving as volunteer Director of Fundraising and board member, Josh switched careers to become the first full-time employee of Beverly’s Birthdays as Development Director in October 2013. Since its inception, the organization has now grown serve more than 70 local agencies and thousands of children annually in the Greater Pittsburgh region.
In May 2018, Josh made the change from birthday programming to the education sector accepting the position of Executive Director of The Education Partnership, providing school supplies for students and teachers in low-income schools in the Pittsburgh region. Founded in 2009 by Justin Brown, today The Education Partnership serves 143 schools in the seven county region, providing more than $6 million worth of school and classroom supplies annually to 55,000 students. The Education Partnership fills an essential and unique purpose in the community, ensuring that every child attending a partner school is equipped with the right tools and given the opportunity to be successful in their education. Josh believes that if the poverty cycle is to be broken, it must begin in the classroom; when ALL students have a fair shot at learning, the entire community will flourish.
Josh currently resides on Mt. Washington with his wife, Lindsey, and their Boston Terrier, Riesling.
Donations can be made online at www.theeducationpartnership.org or by texting the word "PENCIL" to 41444
